Discovery
by FireDemonOfShadows
Summary: Series of non-related one-shots that with vary between genres and pairings. There will be both het and slash. These are some discoveries Riley has made during his life.
1. This is Jeopardy

AN: Just a short, silly one-shot.

Disclaimer: I do not own the _National Treasure _movies.

Summary: One night, while watching television with his friends, Riley discovers just how famous they really are.

Oh, and if you've read my other story, _National Treasure: Fountain of Youth, _you might just recognize he name of Riley's girlfriend. Just thought I'd add it in here.

* * *

"And now, for the Double Jeopardy round," Alex Trebek's voice floated from the living room to the kitchen of the Gates household, where the couple themselves were preparing dinner as Riley channel surfed. "The categories are: American Literature, 50's Cars, Subcultures, Courtroom Chatter, and Treasured Names, in which you'll be given the names of the founders and respond with the artifact (or _treasure_) they discovered."

Riley hadn't been planning on watching Jeopardy, but why not? He got most of the questions right before the players (though usually not before Ben). And they seemed like decent categories.

"I'll take Treasured Names for 2000," a scrawny man that looked too young to be on the regulars program said.

"All right, here's the clue: Ben Gates, Riley Poole, Abigail Gates, Patrick Gates, Emily Gates, and Mitch Wilkinson."

Riley let out something that resembled a squawk, causing Ben and Abigail to rush into the room to check on him. They examined the young man closely, but his eyes were glued to the TV screen. The scrawny man buzzed in.

"What is Cibola?"

"That's correct!"

Ben and Abigail raised their eyebrows when Riley suddenly muted the television and turned to them with an ecstatic grin.

"We're a Jeopardy question!" he exclaimed delightedly, pointing at the screen. "Do you realize how famous you have to be to be a Jeopardy question?"

"Very?" Ben guessed dryly, clearly not as enthusiastic as the computer geek. "I'd rather we'd be famous enough to be in a history book."

Riley seemed put out for a moment, but then his cell phone rang and he forgot all about his friends.

"Rita!" he greeted his girlfriend, heading towards the front door. "Yup, we were a Jeopardy question. At least _you _understand how awesome it is."

Ben and Abby rolled their eyes and fought back smiles as the door swung shut.

* * *

AN: Don't expect much response to this, but it's here. I may post a couple more chapters (they'll most likely be unrelated oneshots) if I can think of them. Ciao!


	2. Sacrifice

AN: Hey, I'm back! Did you think you could get rid of me so easily?

**Semi-Important Message: **This is now going to be a series of non-related (unless specified) one-shots. I've changed the genre to General and the summary to accommodate this. Most of these one-shots will focus on Riley, with occasional exceptions. There will be slash in a few, and I WILL put up a warning in the chapter summary if you want to skip them. There will, of course, be het too. I'm not opposed to Ben/Abigail, but I'll put up a warning for that as well for those people out there who don't like the pairing. _Discovery _is a place for me to put little plot bunnies that pop into my head. Be prepared for anything. That said….

Disclaimer: I do not own either _National Treasure_ movies.

Summary: On a cold November morning, Riley discovers the true meaning of sacrifice. Spoilers for the second movie (like we all haven't already seen it rolls eyes). Mentions of character death.

A bit sad, but… I just had to do it.

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Riley Poole, from a young age, had always whole-heartedly sided with the good guys. His parents had been cajoled into buying him Batman bed covers, a Superman lunch box, and an Indiana Jones outfit for Halloween which they had to go on eBay to find. He wouldn't admit it, but he still had the costume in the back of his closet somewhere. So, you can imagine how unsettling it was for the fan of heroes to suddenly feel more inclined towards a villain. But standing before Mitch Wilkinson's tombstone, that was exactly how Riley felt.

"You may have punched me, but at least you didn't point a gun at my head."

He'd never understood why people in books and movies insisted on talking while visiting a dead person that wouldn't be able to respond to them anyway. That is, until now. Riley couldn't say these things to Ben or Abigail, Ben's parents or his parents… And he couldn't just keep the words locked up either. Despite how much danger Mitch had put him and his friends through, he couldn't help but feel that if the man had just _asked _Ben and Riley to help him find Cibola, they would have gladly done it and even become friends with him. He hadn't been a badperson, simply misguided. In fact, Riley figured that Mitch was what Ben would have been had he not found supporters in hunting for the treasure. Speaking of Ben, he knew that the historian held some sympathy for Mitch. But enough to cry at his grave? Riley didn't know why the tears came, but he couldn't stop them.

"Damn it, you weren't supposed to be a good guy at the last minute! Ben could have found a way to help you!"

This entire experience made him look back and reconsider. Had something happened in Ian's childhood to make him the way he was? Were the real-life villains that he saw on the news just as burdened as their victims? Riley was roused from these thoughts by a gentle hand brushing his shoulder. He spun around to find Ben standing there, a comforting smile on his face.

"I couldn't have possibly saved him, Riley," he said, turning his gaze upon the stone with suspiciously bright eyes. "But I wish I could have."

As Riley and Ben mourned on that cold November morning, they both pondered over what it meant to sacrifice oneself. In those old movies and comic books, the heroes always spoke of sacrifice. But did they ever die in pursuit of it?

--

AN: …I liked Mitch. Deal with it. Reviews?


	3. Can't Bluff

AN: Okay, you guys seem to like this little experiment. Thanks for your wonderful reviews.

Disclaimer: I do not own either _National Treasure _movies.

Summary: During a private conversation, Riley discovers why Ben can't bluff. Ben/Abigail. One-sided Ben/Riley, if you really squint.

Yes, I know some people think Riley would be good with kids… But honestly, siblings are a whole different ballgame. And he didn't exactly get along with the kid in _National Treasure_, did he? I imagine him just not knowing how to deal with them, so he ignores them most of the time. Hope you like it anyway.

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Riley wondered how his little sister would react if she saw him now - her annoying older brother that never gave her advice or helped her when she had nightmares (wasn't that what mothers were for?), sitting cross-legged at the corner of Benjamin Gates's bed while his friend sulked over a fight with Abigail. His sister would have fumed to see him hug and whisper comforting words to a man he'd know for barely three years, when he'd never done something like that for his own _family_. The truth was, Riley hadn't fit in with his family. His mother had been a journalist, traveling to the other side of the world at the drop of a hat, and had left a very disgruntled husband behind to play housewife. His father hadn't been a drunk, druggie, abusive jerk, or mental case. He hadn't been anything, just a familiar face that fed him and… That was pretty much it. Ben, Abigail, Patrick, and Emily felt more like family than his real one ever had.

Then again, considering his sister had gone through the same treatment, maybe she would understand.

"I'm not saying you were wrong, per se-"

"Don't start with that! She said it enough, I get it!"

"No, you don't," Riley sighed exasperatedly, shifting his feet to wake them up. "The only fault you have, Ben, is that you don't always listen. How many times did you cut Abby off like that during your argument, huh?"

Ben's eyes shifted sideways and down, his breath picking up by a fraction of a second, before shrugging indifferently .

"Only once, and she was insulting me at the time. I had a right to."

And this was why, Riley finally knew, that Ben couldn't bluff to save his life. There was a tell, some sign that he was about to lie. A change in breathing pattern, eyes flicking to the side, there was always something. If Ben had been his little sister, Riley would have used this information to his advantage. But he wasn't Riley's sibling, or childhood friend. He was _Ben_.

"I'll talk to her, all right?" was what he said instead, not even letting on that he'd found out something important. "You'll be fine by tomorrow night, whether she listens to me or not. She's so crazy about you now, that she'd never be able to leave. You knew that, right?"

Sharp huff, eyes darted toward the rising sun outside the window.

"Yeah, I knew."

Apparently, he hadn't.

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AN: I don't really know where that came from. Just thought of it. I promise, I'll try for a lighter chapter next time. Reviews?


	4. Nervous Babble

**AN:** Haven't been here in awhile...*looks around*

**Chapter Summary:** During a stressful moment of treasure hunting, Ben starts to babble about anything that comes to mind. Riley (the one who usually babbles in such situations) is slightly confused and more than annoyed. A little snippet, only about 250 words, that I wrote based off my captcha of the day: _Methinks percent_. This chapter's rating is G and there is no pairing, only Ben and Riley friendship.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the National Treasure movies.

It's short, but I like it. Hope you do, too.

* * *

"Did you know that over seventy percent of Americans can't list the American presidents?"

Riley wanted to cry. Or hit something. He wasn't sure which.

"If you went to a middle eastern country, though, people on the street could probably name every one. It's a disturbing concept."

Ben just couldn't stop. After three years of being friends with the guy, Riley had thought that he was used to the sprawling tangents he occasionally (_often_) went off on. He must have largely overestimated his patience, though, because he was now wishing for some duck tape to put over Ben's mouth. And perhaps around his wrists. He wouldn't put it past Ben to try to continue the conversation using sign language or Morse code.

"Did you know the proper meaning of 'methinks' is actually-"

"I swear, if one more word comes out your mouth, I'm throwing you in the snake pit," Riley hissed at him, trying not to look down into said pit as they edged their way to the other side of the room. "I don't see why you're babbling anyway. I'm usually the one that babbles."

There was an embarrassed silence.

"…I'm afraid of snakes."

"You should have thought of that before you decided to go on another treasure hunt, Mister Indiana Jones!"

Internally, Riley's irritation had vanished and was replaced with childish, sadistic glee. Once they (_if they_) got back home, he knew exactly where he was taking Ben for his birthday - the National Zoo's reptile house.

_~End...maybe~_


End file.
